Where Pop Culture and Travel Combine

31 Geeky Things to Celebrate in July

Last month I wrote up a list of geeky things to celebrate throughout June, and enjoyed it so much that I decided to do the same this month. There are some really great geeky anniversaries, birthdays and national days happening, so if you love a random celebration as much as I do, make sure to check them out.

Indiana Jones

1st July | On the 1st July 1899, a boy called Henry Walton Jones was born – you may know him slightly better as Indiana Jones. Why not dedicate the first day of the month to one of the greatest characters of all time by going on your own treasure hunt. (photo)

World UFO Day

2nd July | 71 years ago on the 2nd of July, an unidentified flying object crashed in Roswell causing thousands of people to start believing in the unknown. World UFO Day is now held each year, to raise awareness of UFO’s and to encourage governments to declassify their files on UFO sightings.

Back to the Future

3rd July | Back to the Future has become one of the most iconic movies of all time – and the 3rd of July marks its 33rd Anniversary, so what better day to show your appreciation for the franchise by binging the trilogy.

Alice in Wonderland Day

4th July | One quiet afternoon, on this very day, Lewis Carroll took a young girl called Alice Lidell on a boat ride down an Oxford river and told her a story about a bored child who found herself tumbling down a rabbit hole, and so, Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland was born. Celebrate Alice’s day by reading the story yourself.

Amazon Day

5th July | Amazon.com has become one of the biggest online retailer, and it all started on the 5th of July when Jeff Bezos came up with an idea for an online bookstore. 23 years later, and it’s still going strong, so if you’re looking for an excuse to buy something from your Amazon wish list, today’s the day.

Anne with an E

6th July | Did you catch the first season of Anne with an E least year? Well the show is back, and Season 2 will premiere on the 6th of July 2018 on Netflix. Make sure you re-cap before it starts up again.

Arthur Conan Doyle

7th July | On the 7th of July 1930, Arthur Conan Doyle sadly passed away. The author is probably best known for his Sherlock Holmes novels, so why not celebrate his life by picking up one of his books, or watching one of the many on screen adaptions. (photo)

Video Games Day

8th July | Also held in September, Video Games Day celebrates all the games that stormed the market and changed the way kids play. From Atari, to Nintendo, to Xbox and PlayStation – whack out your controller and play your favourite game.

Donkey Kong

9th July | In 1981, on this very day, Donkey Kong was released on Arcade Machines everywhere. It also marks the first time we got to see Mario, who took on the antagonist ape in the game, way before he appears in Super Mario Bros.

Small Soldiers

10th July | Small Soldiers, the epic 90’s movie, featuring a super young Kirsten Dunst, premiered on the 10th July 1998. Keep an eye on those G.I. Joes and Barbies, because who knows what will happen on the anniversary of this movie.

To Kill a Mokingbird

11th July | Harper Lee’s To Kill a Mockingbird was published 58 years ago on this day. The book became an instant hit, and continues to be featured on many a school reading list. If you haven’t read the book since you were a child, today is the day to pick it up and understand exactly why it’s an absolute classic.

Handmaid’s Tale

12th July | If you’ve been watching Season 2 of Handmaid’s Tale, the 12th of July marks it’s finale, so make sure you tune in to find out what happens to June and her baby.

Embrace Your Geekness Day

13th July | Today is for all the geeks out there. Whether you have an affinity for sci-fi or history, a collection that takes up your entire house, a love of larping or cosplay or books, or just about any kind of obsession one could possibly have, celebrate you and your geeky ways on the 13th of July.

The Dark Knight

14th July | Today marks the 10th Anniversary of one of my favourite superhero movies, so if you’re a Batman lover and think Heath Ledger is the greatest Joker of all time, celebrate the Christopher Nolan movie by watching the Dark Knight trilogy.

Saint Swithin’s Day

15th July | Legend has it that if it rains on Saint Swithin’s Day – the 15th of July – it will rain for 40 days. However, if you’re a fan of David Nicholls’ One Day, you also know that Saint Swithin’s Day marks the day that we get to see what Emma and Dexter are up to.

Hocus Pocus

16th July | There’s no denying that Hocus Pocus is one of the greatest Halloween movies of all time, but it was actually released on the 16th of July, and this year marks its 25th Anniversary, so if you need an excuse to celebrate All Hallows Eve early – this is it!

Ant-Man

17th July | Ant-man and the Wasp doesn’t come out until next month – this month if you’re lucky enough to live in America – but you can still celebrate the worlds tiniest hero because the 17th of July marks the anniversary of the original Ant-Man movie, released 3 years ago.

Jane Austen

18th July | Jane Austen, the author of Pride and Prejudice, Sense and Sensibility, and Mansfield Park died on this day over 200 years ago. Celebrate her life by picking up one of her novels or watching one of the many adaptions of her books on screen.

Captain America: The First Avenger

19th July | Celebrating its 7th anniversary, Captain America premiered on this day in 2011. It was the fifth movie in the MCU to be released, and produced a handful of amazing characters who have continued to appear in the franchise.

Space Exploration Day

20th July | On the 20th of July 1969, the world witnessed the first manned mission to the moon as astronauts Buzz Aldrin and Neil Armstrong became the first two humans to set foot on it. In 1984, the 20th of July became the official Space Exploration Day and encourages people to learn more about Space and science.

Ernest Hemingway

21st July | Born on the 21st of July 1899, Hemingway has published 7 novels, 6 short stories, and won the Nobel Prize of Literature. This would have been his 119th birthday, so celebrate by picking up one of his books.

Pi Approximation Day

22nd July | We all know that Pi day falls on the 14th of March, but did you know that there is also a Pi Approximation day, and it is celebrated on the 22nd July. Why? Because Pi is denoted by the fraction 22/7, as well as 3.14, which can be read as the 22nd of July.

Coneheads

23rd July | Steve Barron’s Coneheads is celebrating it’s 25th anniversary on the 23rd of July, so if you’re a fan of the alien family, make sure to celebrate the movie.

Amelia Earhart Day

24th July | Amelia Earhart, the first female aviator to fly solo across the Atlantic, was born on the 24th of July 1897. Amelia Earhart day was created to celebrate her life and her accomplishments, as she continues to inspire a new wave of female pilots.

Mission Impossible: Fallout

25th July | The sixth movie in the Mission Impossible franchise – Fallout – is released today, so if you want to catch a glimpse of the moustache that caused so much controversy in the Justice League movie, make sure to catch it at the cinema.

Aldous Huxley

26th July | Celebrated author of Brave New World, Aldous Huxley was born on the 26th of July, 124 years ago, which makes today the perfect day to celebrate Huxley and everything he created.

Orange is the New Black

27th July | Fans of Orange is the New Black rejoice because the 27th of July marks the premiere of the sixth season, so make sure you tune into Netflix, and make sure you’re up to date with the rest of the series.

Delta Aquarids Meteor Shower

28th July | If you’re lucky enough to live in the Northern Hemisphere, you could catch a glimpse of the Delta Aquarids Meteor Shower on the 28th of July – if you stay up late enough – and could see up to 20 to 30 meteors a minute. Make sure to go somewhere with little light pollution otherwise you won’t be able to see them.

Fellowship of the Ring

29th July | Lord of the Rings fans, the 29th of July marks the 64th anniversary of the Fellowship of the Ring novel by J.R.R. Tolkien. As the book that started it all, going on to inspire two more novels to make up the trilogy, celebrate by watching the on screen adaption, because we all know the book is far too long to read in one day.

Paperback Book Day

30th July | A day for everyone who has ever read a book. For the bibliophiles and the light readers. For the authors and the storytellers. Celebrate books on Paperback Book Day, held on the 30th of July.

Harry Potter

31st July | One of the most important dates in the wizard world – 31st of July was the day The Boy Who Lived was born. If Harry Potter was born on any day other than the 31st, Voldemort wouldn’t have tried to kill him, and the events that were put in play after that night would never have happened.

Yey! I was so happy when I saw you chose to do this again :D Goodness, Amazon is 23 years old… I feel old. I remember it’s birth lol. I’m also taking note of video games day, going to need to do something for that so thank you for highlighting that one!

I love the new look by the way, I have one small complaint and it’s kind of a vital one. Your comment text is absolutely tiny. I had to squint at the screen to write this as I’m really really short sighted.

Glad you like it – you kind of inspired me to try and make it a monthly segment. And thank you, I had a little play around with the layout on Tuesday, though I’m still not 100% happy with it. I did noticed the tiny tiny writing in the comments, but I have no idea how to make it bigger without increasing the size of the text everywhere else on the site. Maybe it’s time to go self hosted to give me a little more leeway with regards to customising.

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Hi, I'm Emma, a professional geek from Southsea, with a massive love for travel. Geeky Tourist is my way of sharing tips on how to make each day a little geekier than the last. If you love books, movies, TV series, games, science, or history, you are going to find something here for you. Enjoy!